It's been nine years since the Trainz development journey began, and things are moving along faster now than they have done for many years.
The team is expanding, we are working on a new website, and we continue to make great inroads into improving the Trainz platform.

The latest version of Trainz - Trainz Classics 3 - has begun shipping around the
world and the team have added some great new features for your enjoyment. Steam fans will be especially happy with the new physics, new particle
effects and sounds that now link to the revolutions of the wheels.

Work on the first major Trainz edition in 3 years - Trainz Simulator 2009 - is progressing
well and we'll be getting an early version out to content creators in the next few weeks. The new
TrainzDev content creator site has attracted lots of interest and we are excited about
some of the new and updated content that will be coming your way later this year.

Our first newsletter in some time has been sent out to our loyal followers and we are keen to bring more community aspects
into the newsletter once again. If you have an interesting event, story or article about Trainz that you would like us to publish,
please submit them to www.auran.com/helpdesk.

After some recent problems, the Trainz Helpdesk and Trainz Shop are now functioning well, and further improvements are
planned as part of the website update. We are also identifying and working through the intermittent Download Station issues.
With your ongoing support we look forward to many more years of bringing you the biggest, best and most complete rail simulation in the world.

If you are not receiving the newsletter, please check your Planet Auran Profile or add your email to the newsletter list here...

Trainz Team

Fury League - Where Gamers turn their Skill into Cash.Brisbane, Australia, May 8 2008.

Fury League - Where Gamers turn their Skill into Cash.
2,000 individual cash prizes to be won this month.

Auran Games, creators of Fury, the fast-paced arena combat game, today announced the launch of a new skill-based online competitive format called Fury League. Players can not only test their skills against other players but also win Fury Gold which can be converted into real cash.

To introduce players to the new "turn skill into cash" concept, the Fury League Qualifying Season will run throughout the month of May. This is a totally free to play Qualifying Season aimed at building a large social and competitive online community based around fast paced arena combat.

To get the competitive juices flowing, and to ensure plenty of hard fought competition, the Qualifying Season will culminate in two special "Cash Ladders". The top 1,000 players on each Ladder will win cash prizes with a total of $25,000 to be won. The first Cash Ladder will kick off May 20 with players competing in 8 v 8 team Vortex. The second will begin on May 27 with players competing in the 4 v 4 Elimination game type.

In addition to the Cash Ladders, for every game played during the Qualifying Season players earn one Free game entry in Fury League which will kick off in June. Players can earn up to a maximum of 1,000 free game entries, so players of every skill level will be rewarded for participating in Qualifying Season matches.

"We have listened to our core community and there are two things they really want - a game where skill is rewarded not time played and the chance to win cool prizes," said Tony Hilliam, Auran CEO. "We are very excited to deliver the ultimate skill-based competitive online game that will satisfy both these wishes - tangible cash prizes and a game where skill is your only advantage."

"We have been working very hard behind the scenes and in consultation with our players identifying what worked well in Fury and what didn't," Hilliam continued. "We have created a safer environment for new players to learn the fast-paced action, and we have totally removed any "grind" for gear or abilities. This is the perfect opportunity for players to step up and test their skill for free and earn cash for playing games."

"Our statistics show that once people win three to five games, chances are they are hooked," said Cameron McNeil, Fury Lead Designer. "So ensuring a fair fight is the key to growing our player population. By putting up $25,000 in cash prizes for the Qualifying Season, we are confident we'll see a huge increase in player numbers. This will lead to closer matches and ultimately more fun for everyone. Rising up the Ladders to win bigger cash prizes is also a great incentive for players to push through the learning curve and discover the depth Fury combat has to offer."

"To ensure a level playing field, we have given all 400+ abilities to almost 200,000 existing player accounts and every new player receives these abilities for free as well," said Cameron. "In addition, everyone who logs on this month receives 10,000 Fury Gold to spend on new armor for use in the Qualifying Season, prior to an inventory reset in June. There are also new starter and advanced Archetypes designed by top players in the Fury community, and of course a host of other game and performance improvements. We are really looking forward to building the Fury League community to the point of offering hundreds of thousands of Fury Gold prizes every month."

Fury League is the result of three years of previous Fury development and experience plus six further months of re-engineering, re-design and improvements. No other game has ever created a level playing field where players can turn their gaming skills into cash every month. Every player has access to the same items and abilities from the start and so the winners will be those players that develop the best combination of character customization, map knowledge, combat awareness, individual skill and teamwork.

Fury League will operate much more like an online sport than a traditional computer game. Rather than character progression or an unfolding story, players work on improving their performance as an individual and as a team member. Players can simply have fun with friends and see who has the best score on a given day, or they can get more serious and compete for prize money.

Fury League will continue to evolve and expand over the coming months with the ability to challenge other players for Gold and to spectate on other matches. Existing Fury players will also be compensated for prior purchases as part of the transition to Fury League.

About Fury League:
Fury League is a free to play (F2P) fast-paced arena combat game where players can turn their skill into cash. All players have equal access the same equipment and abilities from the start and so individual skill is the difference between winning and losing. Players compete in 6 different game types and can win Fury Gold prizes. Importantly, Fury Gold can also be converted into cash, with a small processing fee applying to each withdrawal. Withdrawals are limited to one per account per month.

Two game types are free to play forever, and the other 4 game types (Premium Games) will require a Fury Gold entry fee (from a few cents per game). Every player also starts each month with 10 free Premium Game entries. Fury Gold can be purchased from the online Fury store using credit card or Paypal with additional payment methods to come. Players can also choose a $10 monthly subscription and receive unlimited free Premium Games plus special sanctuary (non-combat) items and emotes.

Players can also use Fury Gold to enter additional "Gold Ladders" for a chance to win major Fury Gold prizes. The Gold Ladder prizes will be awarded to the top 50% of entries so even if you aren't competing for 1st place, you will win Fury Gold by finishing ahead of half the field.

In the next major update, players will have the ability to enter Fury Gold Challenge matches where players wager Fury Gold, with a winner take all prize pool. Future updates will offer spectating options plus a Live Tournament mode where players vie for supremacy in a live knock-out competition.

Existing Fury players can log on and patch directly to the latest Fury League build and all players who purchased Fury or items from the Fury store will be compensated for their prior support. Players who purchase Fury from a retail store or online will receive Fury Gold and a month free subscription.